Sega-Naomi

I've been looking into getting one of Happ's dual-resolution LCD panels to use with my Neo-Geo and Atomiswave. It accepts CGA/VGA inputs at 15kHz and 31kHz, so it should work fine. The guy told me that the RGB input is via "single-row, .156 header." Can someone explain what that is in this context? I assume I would need to create a custom cable to go from the Neo's RGB to this type of connector. Is it some sort of molex-type connector? And is there any way to tell how many pins it is before getting the monitor? I did a google search, but it wasn't much help with my specific questions...





Thanks!

The connector mentioned will look something like this:





This type of connector can have any number of pins in a row because they can usually be cut off to size. For VGA type inputs, it would have to be 15 pins or less. For Jamma style RGB, it would have to be at least 5 pins to accomodate R,G,B,Ground and Sync. I think most CRT chassis have this kind of connection already on the board with wires to be attached to jamma connector or harness.

Thanks for the reply, Joshua! The only thing is that the Neo-Geo is an AES, not an MVS system. The plug on the system is an 8-pin DIN, so I guess I'll have to check the pinout for the LCD and create a custom cable.



I am assuming that the VGA input is standard 15-pin D-sub--isn't that usually the way it is?

Ah! I didn't know you were using AES. Since this is an arcade forum, you may want to be more specific when asking console questions.:smt111

If you asked them for parts to fit an AES, then they should (in theory) give you the right stuff.

Thanks for the response. I just got back from a week's vacation (with no internet access), or I would have answered sooner...

joshua3dg wrote:Ah! I didn't know you were using AES. Since this is an arcade forum, you may want to be more specific when asking console questions.:smt111

Ah, yes--sorry! I'll try to be more specific next time.

joshua3dg wrote:If you asked them for parts to fit an AES, then they should (in theory) give you the right stuff.

Shouldn't really be a problem with the connector as long as I know the pinouts, but it couldn't hurt to ask for the parts. I mainly intend to use the monitor with the Atomiswave anyway (at least until I can save up enough for a Naomi GD-ROM system).



Regarding these Happ Dual Resolution monitors--How do they differ from a computer LCD monitor? Is it that they actually change resolutions, similar to a CRT, instead of running the signal through a scaler/line doubler? Just wondering if it is worth the effort...

Yes, that's right. Monitors that support multiple resolutions are capable of displaying video without using emulation techniques such as line-doubling. In that sense, they work similarly to pc monitors. LCD monitors are different because (in technical terms) they always display at their native resolution. When using other resolutions, it uses emulation techniques. That's why in lower resolutions, you see larger pixels.



Sorry if I got too technical. No other way to explain it. :smt016

Again I need to learn to be more specific :smt009 ... I am referring to Happ's Vision Pro Dual Resolution (CGA/VGA) LCD Monitors, and I am wondering if they work similarly to a multi-sync CRT, or if they are just like computer LCDs. They do accept a lo-res 15kHz signal, hence my confusion.

Sure. The LCD version of arcade monitors will work the same.

From what I understand, a multi-sync CRT uses an entirely different technology to switch resolutions. I guess I just don't understand how the LCD changes the output resolution without scaling the image (as in a computer LCD). For example, my 19-inch LCD computer monitor has a native resolution of 1280x1024, so it has to scale up a 640x480 output signal to fill the screen which results in blurring and artifacts. I would imagine that a lo-res signal (i.e., Neo-Geo MVS) would only look worse since it would have to be scaled even more. How do these dual-res LCDs get past this hurdle? Do you have any insight?

How can it compensate? I'm not sure that it will. You'll just have to try it and hope for the best. :smt102